Oklahoma Outdoors - Sportsmen's Empire

This week John is celebrating the 200th episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors podcast. Almost 4 years of stories, education, and just downright fun. John takes some time at the end of the episode to not only thank the listeners for their support and encouragement over the years, but also to highlight some of his favorite episodes. This show has covered mountain lions, alligators, elk, pronghorn, fish, bears, mule deer, and of course the glorious whitetail buck. All of these critters just listed can be found right here in the Sooner state. 

The Episode timed out perfectly with a big announcement John has been wanting to make. To find out what that big news is, you'll have to check out episode 200 of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, a proud member of the Sportsmens Empire Podcast Network!

Youth weekend has come and gone in Oklahoma, but this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast John is sharing some of the success that his family had. It was hot and dry with bad winds for much of the weekend, but that didn't stop John from getting his niece and nephew out for a little deer hunting. It turned into a bit of a grind, but eventually they were able to get on a deer and fill the family freezer. In part 2 of this episode, John talks about the unusually warm weather Oklahoma and much of the country is experiencing, and how John thinks it will affect not only the upcoming rut movement, but also the late season deer hunting success rates.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, we kick off the storytelling portion of the year with a dandy 200" buck taken on Opening day. 22 year old Hunter Wesberry picked up a new property this year, but had no idea what was in store for him and his family. After walking the property and doing a lot of scouting, he set up a trail camera and quickly got a photo of a buck with a lot of potential. As the summer went by and the buck continued to grow, Hunter knew this buck was special. Opening day came and the wind and weather conditions were perfect for what Hunter needed to go after the buck he called cactus. After only a few hours of sleep he climbed into his stand well before daylight and began the long waiting game.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John talks about his recent adventure of trying to find the elusive Oklahoma black bear. The trip started off promising, and John was able to find some bear sign way up a remote river. The trip took a turn however when John hit a submerged object on the way back to the boat ramp that rendered his propeller essentially worthless. After hunting on his private land spot in the morning and stealing a propeller of an old jon boat, he was back in action for the evening. John also talks a little bit about the upcoming cold snap and some new bucks that have shown up ahead of it. It is looking the things may work out great for the upcoming youth weekend!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is changing things up a little bit for the opening weekend of the 2024 hunting season in Oklahoma. Due to not having the quality of bucks he has grown accustomed to chasing on his home place this year, he is hitting the road (or water) and trying something a little different. John plans to take his boat into a more remote portion of Oklahoma and chase public land bucks and bears. Thanks to some updated regulation changes this year, a bear tag is now included in the lifetime license package, meaning John and other lifetime license holders are able to hunt bears without buying additional tags. John plans to use his boat to access hard to reach public land places in hopes of tagging either a whitetail buck or black bear in south eastern Oklahoma with his bow.

Happy Deer Season Eve! This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John keeps it simple and gives you 5 simple tips to make you more successful during the 2024-2025 deer season. Many of us wait all season long for October 1st to roll around, and John wants to make sure that everyone makes the most out of their deer season. This will be John's twentieth deer season, which is hard to believe, but he wants to take all the lessons he has learned over those twenty years and help you be as successful as possible.

In this episode John talks about being patient, waiting for your moment, being selective, and much much more. He also emphasises that if you have not gotten all your preseason work done, now is the time to do it before things really get good. And don't just get things up and running now, but keep everything running from now until the buzzer beeps, because you never know when that buck of a lifetime is going to step out and offer you a clean shot and a chance at glory!

John is coming at you live from Kansas this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. John took his mobile studio with him and recorded updates throughout the week in a semi-live format. After covering a lot of miles, John saw a couple really nice bucks and put himself in position to take a really nice 10 point. He still can't explain what happened, but it is quite a story as to how that buck didn't get a ride back home in the back of John's truck. John got to experience strong winds, storms, heat, and a beautiful landscape that is completely different than what he gets to hunt at home.

A long awaited and much anticipated episode this week as John prepares to head north to Kansas to chase open plains whitetails with his muzzleloaders. John starts the episode off by talking about more local things like the deer he is seeing on the ranch and an exciting new property he picked up in Texas. After running cameras for several weeks, the outlook is not looking great so far, and if he had to choose a spot to hunt tomorrow, he would probably find himself hunting public ground.

After the local stuff, John goes outbound and talks about his upcoming trip to Kansas, which if you are listening to this episode when it comes out, he is already there. John discusses his camp set up, his scouting, and what he expects to encounter. John did not have a chance to make a scouting trip over the summer, so he is going in completely blind. Though he did not get to put boots on the ground, he has spent countless hours e-scouting ever since he put in for the tag back in April. He feels confident that with a little gravel under the tire and some dirt under his boots, he can find a spot to take down a big bodied Kansas buck. 

John is joined by a very special guest this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Jeremy Aron, better known as the Do it Yourself Hunter, hails from Mississippi and has been traveling around the country hunting whitetails on public land for decades now. Jeremy has a passion for sharing his adventures and encouraging others to get out of their comfort zone and take advantage of the same opportunities that he enjoys. Jeremy has hunted over 20 states, and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Jeremy talks about how he got started hunting out of state, and gives a few pointers for folks looking to plan their first out of state hunt. Jeremy also talks about how he stays mobile out on the road, not only with his hunting setup, but also with his vehicle. Jeremy hunts out of an SUV instead of a pickup so that he can eat, sleep, drive, and camp out of one rig and be as mobile as he needs to be. This is a great episode for anyone looking to take the next step in their hunting career and have their own adventure.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John comes to you live from the Southern Plains Outdoor Show. John loaded up the truck with his recording equipment and setup at the show to record interviews with vendors and attendees. To start off the show, John talks to Oklahoma Game Warden Dillon King to cover the new hunting license structure and changes. Warden King also talks about some of the more common mistakes people make while out in the field.

Next on the list are a couple young men who started "Hunting God Outdoors." Hunter, Gunner, and Roman's goal is to bring people closer to God while also enjoying the outdoor pursuits that we all know and love. After the Hunting God Outdoor boys, friend of the show Charles Greer with Whitetail Fanatic Land Consultants stops by the table for a quick summer time update. He and John talk a little food plot strategy and what this fall may bring to each.

To wrap up the show, Daniel McVay and Chancey Holdsworth of Buckventures drop by to talk a little behind the scenes of what it is like to be a part of a major television show. They talk about how much time and work goes into producing a 22 minute episode, and what it takes to put on such a large production. The guys also give some advice for young people who want to get into the industry, and some good ways to get started.